A holly jolly Christmas isn’t on the cards for many workers across the UK. Office Genie’s research finds the majority of British bosses err towards stingy Scrooge than selfless Saint Nick.
Christmas bonuses are in short supply this year: a shocking 84 per cent of employees will not be receiving a seasonal reward. Festive cheer is also lacking with 64 per cent of workplace opting out of a Secret Santa gift exchange.
While the majority will experience Christmas party shenanigans, almost a quarter (24 per cent) will miss out on the fun. On a more worrying note, 17 per cent of employees believe they will experience work-related stress during their Christmas holiday.
Perhaps as a result of the meagre amount of merriment, almost half (43 per cent) of the UK’s working population say they will be slowing down pre-Christmas and by the third week of December, will have ‘switched off’. Indeed 25 per cent of the workers surveyed say they will be easing off between the 14th-21st December alone.
Peter Ames, head of strategy at OfficeGenie.co.uk, says, ‘The Prime Minister may be calling for festivities in the workplace, but it doesn’t appear British bosses are obliging. This bad festive attitude is clearly not helping employees, with almost half of the country’s workers switching off well in advance of Christmas itself.
‘We’d suggest there is a balance to be struck, and perhaps a little Christmas indulgence could go a long way to ensuring staff are fully engaged, right up until holidays kick in.’
Further reading on employee benefits
